Residents evacuated in Lincoln Court fire

A fire at an Idaho Falls retirement center resulted in extensive water damage Monday.

The Idaho Falls Fire Department said a fire started at about 3:15 p.m. at Lincoln Court Retirement Center, probably due to a faulty heating, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning unit.

When crews arrived, they found the south hallway upstairs full of smoke and residents being evacuated from the building. When the HVAC malfunctioned, the sprinkler system activated, putting the fire out. Crews stopped the water flow, ventilated the smoke from the building and helped evacuate and account for the residents and workers. A couple of residents were given oxygen due to some smoke inhalation. No one was transported to the hospital.

The incident caused $10,000 to $20,000 worth of damage, mostly from water. However, the fire department said the sprinkler system “did its job” and minimized fire damage.

The department said possible annual inspections of HVAC wall units could have prevented the fire.